Mounting bracket for rack system and method of use

ABSTRACT

A rack system is disclosed that includes a mounting bracket that is operable to couple a rail to a post having either of two possible configurations. The mounting bracket includes a pair of hooks. The hooks are sized to couple the mounting bracket to a post having square apertures. The hooks of the mounting bracket are coupled to a spring. When the mounting bracket is coupled to a post having round holes, the placement of the bracket against the posts causes the hooks to recede, thereby allowing the mounting holes of the mounting bracket to be directly adjacent to the holes of the post.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of electronic and computer equipment and more specifically, to mounting brackets for a rack system.

BACKGROUND

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to these users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may vary with respect to the type of information handled; the methods for handling the information; the methods for processing, storing, or communicating the information; the amount of information processed, stored, or communicated; and the speed and efficiency with which the information is processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as finanicial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include or comprise a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

Rack systems often include a number of posts and rails coupled between the posts. The rails comprise a rail system that may include slide assemblies for receiving and sliding the information handling system back and forth in the rack system. Each end of each of the rails of the rail system may be coupled to a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is used to couple the rails to the posts of the rack system. The posts of the rack system often have one of several configurations. The posts could have a number of square apertures, and it may be possible to toollessly couple brackets to posts having square apertures. The posts may include a number of round holes. In the case of round holes, a fastener, such as a screw, may be used to couple the mounting brackets to the posts. A mounting bracket designed for square apertures may not function to couple a rack to a post having round holes. Similarly, a bracket designed for a post having round holes may not function to couple a rack to a post having square apertures.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present disclosure, a rack system is disclosed that includes a mounting bracket that is operable to couple a rail to a post having either of two possible configurations. The mounting bracket includes a pair of hooks. The hooks are sized to couple the mounting bracket to a post having square apertures. The hooks of the mounting bracket are coupled to a spring. When the mounting bracket is coupled to a post having round holes, the placement of the bracket against the posts causes the hooks to recede, thereby allowing the mounting holes of the mounting bracket to be directly adjacent to the holes of the post.

The mounting bracket disclosed herein is technically advantageous because its design allows the mounting bracket to be coupled to a post having either square apertures or round holes. As a result, the mounting bracket has a flexible design in that it is operable to be coupled with a post of either of the two predominant post designs. The mounting bracket disclosed herein can support toolless coupling of the bracket to a post having a square aperture, while also supporting the fastener-based coupling of the mounting bracket to a post having round holes. Because of the flexibility of the design of the mounting bracket, only a single mounting bracket design is necessary. As a result, the mounting bracket disclosed herein may be provided for use with either post design. Other technical advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following specification, claims, and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rack;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a post having square apertures;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a post having round apertures;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a mounting bracket;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the reverse side of the mounting bracket of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the coupling of a mounting bracket to a post having square apertures; and

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the coupling of a mounting bracket to a post having round holes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communication with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

Information handling system components, including server computers, are typically installed in a rack system. Rack systems typically incorporate one or more standard interfaces for mounting components such as electronic industry association (EIA) recommended standard (RS) 310. Shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rack system that includes four posts. The posts of FIG. 1 are shown with square apertures, as is common in at least one type of rack assembly. Rack 10 has a plurality of posts 15 that are each coupled to a top support 12 and a bottom support 13. Posts 15 are each capable of being coupled to a mounting bracket. In turn, each mounting bracket is coupled to a rail, which may not include a slide assembly. Slide assemblies are used to move the component from an installed position within the rack to a position extended from the rack to allow for inspection, maintenance, installation, or removal of the component. Rails are used in pairs to support a server or other component in the rack.

Two common types of posts are posts having square apertures (shown in FIG. 2A) and posts having round holes (shown in FIG. 2B). FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a portion of a post having square apertures for receiving a mounting bracket. Square apertures 21 of post 20 are capable of receiving a mounting bracket that includes mounting posts. The portion of post 20 that mates with mounting brackets may be referred to as a post interface or mounting post. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a portion of post having round apertures for receiving a mounting bracket. Round holes 31 of post 30 may be used as an attachment point for corresponding mounting brackets using fasteners such as, for example, screws and nuts.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views of a mounting bracket 40. Mounting bracket 40 is formed to mate with posts having either square apertures or round holes. With reference to FIG. 3A, mounting bracket 40 include a pair of interface hooks 41A and 41C. The end of mounting bracket 40 that includes the interface hooks is referred to herein as the mating end. Each of interface hooks 41A and 41C can slide along a slot 53. Each interface hook 41 is coupled to a spring 51. Each spring 51 is biased so that the interface hooks 41 extend beyond the front face 49 of mounting bracket 40. Mounting bracket 40 also includes a series of mounting holes 44 for coupling the mounting bracket with fasteners to a post having round holes. The mounting bracket includes three holes 44. The top and bottom holes are used for mounting the bracket to the post. Surrounding each hole is a nut 43. The middle hole is most often used for coupling the mounting bracket to the server or component being housed in the rack system. Slots 45 of the mounting bracket provide an opening for coupling the mounting bracket to a rail.

Shown in FIG. 4A is a depiction of the coupling of mounting bracket 40 with post 20. Post 20 includes square apertures. Interface hooks 41A & 41C of the mounting bracket interact and engage with square apertures 21A & 21C, respectively. As described with reference to FIG. 3A, the hooks 41A and 41C are biased such that the hooks extend beyond the front face of the mounting bracket. As such, the hooks are exposed and may fit toollessly within the square apertures of the post. As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4, a hook mates with a corresponding slot by moving the hook into slot and then moving the hook in a downward direction.

Shown in FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the coupling of mounting bracket 40 to a post 30 having round holes. Mounting bracket 40 mates with post 30 through a series of fasteners or screws 47. Each screw 47 is placed through a hole 31 in post 30, a corresponding hole 44 in the mounting bracket, and a nut 43 in the mounting bracket. Nut 43 holds screw 47 in place. When the mounting bracket is placed flush against the post for the purpose of attaching the bracket to the post at the corresponding holes of the bracket and the post, the interface hooks 41 retract. The hooks bear against the post and are pressed in a backwards direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the interface hooks no longer extend beyond the front face of the mounting bracket. Pressing mounting bracket 40 against post 30 forces interface hooks 41 to retract away from the mating end of mounting bracket 40. Interface hooks 41 are retracted sufficient along slots 53 such that the interface hooks 40 are flush with the post. In this way, interface hooks 41 recede sufficiently so as to not unduly interfere with the ability of mounting bracket 40 to mate with post 30.

The mounting bracket disclosed herein permits a user to toollessly couple a rail to a post, while affording the flexibility of also permitting a fastener-based connection to a post, thereby simplifying the design and reducing the costs of computer systems and information handling systems for both manufacturers and consumers. Although the rack systems disclosed herein are four-post rack systems, the mounting bracket disclosed herein could also be used in two-post rack systems. In addition, although the mounting bracket has been described with respect to square apertures and round holes, it should be appreciated that the mounting bracket disclosed herein may also be used with posts having connection points of other sizes or shapes. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A mounting bracket for supporting a computer system component comprising: an arm member having a first end and a second end; a first rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the first rail interface has an interface hook capable of toollessly and releasably securing the first end of the arm member to an interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the interface hook; and a second rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the second rail interface has an interface hole for receiving a mechanical fastener for securing the first end of the arm member to an interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the mechanical fastener.
 2. The mounting bracket of claim 1 wherein the interface hook is slidable along an elongated slot of the arm member to form a slidable interface hook.
 3. The mounting bracket of claim 2 wherein the slidable interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member.
 4. The mounting bracket of claim 3 wherein the interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member by a spring attached between the slidable interface hook and the arm member.
 5. The mounting bracket of claim 1 wherein the first rail interface includes multiple interface hooks.
 6. The mounting bracket of claim 1 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
 7. The mounting bracket of claim 4 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes and wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
 8. A rack system comprising: a rack having a plurality of rails, each rail having an interface portion; and a pair of mounting brackets for supporting a computer system component, each mounting bracket having: an arm member having a first end and a second end, a first rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the first rail interface has an interface hook capable of toollessly and releasably securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the interface hook, and a second rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the second rail interface has an interface hole for receiving a mechanical fastener for securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of the post having apertures sized to receive the mechanical fastener.
 9. The rack system of claim 8 wherein the interface hook is slidable along an elongated slot of the arm member to form a slidable interface hook.
 10. The mounting bracket of claim 9 wherein the slidable interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member.
 11. The mounting bracket of claim 10 wherein the interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member by a spring attached between the slidable interface hook and the arm member.
 12. A method for supporting a computer system component comprising: providing a rack having a plurality of rails, each rail having an interface portion; providing a plurality of mounting brackets for supporting a computer system component, each mounting bracket having an arm member having a first end and a second end, a first rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the first rail interface has an interface hook capable of toollessly and releasably securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the interface hook, and a second rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the second rail interface has an interface hole for receiving a mechanical fastener for securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of the post having apertures sized to receive the mechanical fastener; and coupling the pair of mounting brackets to the interface portion of the posts.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the coupling of the pair of mounting brackets to the interface portion of the posts occurs by engaging and mating of the interface hooks with the interface portion of the posts.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the interface hook is slidable along an elongated slot of the arm member to form a slidable interface hook.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the slidable interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the coupling of the pair of mounting brackets to the interface portion of the posts occurs by attaching the second rail interface to the interface portion of the post with a mechanical fastener.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member by a spring attached between the slidable interface hook and the arm member.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein the first rail interface includes multiple interface hooks.
 19. The method of claim 12 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes and wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes. 